Former Ohio Senate President Bill Harris dies

Monday

COLUMBUS — Bill Harris, former president of the Ohio Senate and veteran of two wars, died Monday morning. He was 83.

A Republican from Ashland, Harris served as Senate president from 2005 until 2011 — capping a 15-year legislative career. Details of his death weren’t immediately available.

He also served as a machine gunner and platoon commander for the U.S. Marine Corps in Korea starting in 1953. Harris went on to serve two tours in the Vietnam War, leaving the service with the rank of major. He was awarded two bronze stars and the Vietnam Medal of Honor.

After leaving the service, he started the Bill Harris Chevrolet dealership in Ashland, which still is run by his family, according to the Ashland University and Brethren Church Archives. Harris went into politics believing that business owners should bring their perspective to the legislative process, the archive reported.

Harris served in the state House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. He began his Senate career in 1999 and retired in 2011, serving his last six years as president. His political allies and opponents said he was an honest, tough, fair leader of the chamber.

The final two years of Harris’ time in the legislature were difficult for Ohio’s policymakers, with the effects of a national recession on the state budget.

"We had to make some gut-wrenching decisions," said then-Gov. Ted Strickland.

It was also politically contentious, with power split between Republicans in the Ohio Senate and Democrats in the Ohio House and governor’s office.

Strickland said he and Harris had their share of disagreements during near-weekly meetings around a round table in the governor’s ceremonial offices at the Statehouse, where Strickland based his administration.

"The thing that I remember about those meetings, they were always pleasant," Strickland said. "There were some contentious issues that we disagreed on, but we always showed each other great respect. They were never mean-spirited meetings, not a single one. We were able to sit around the table and talk as mature adults and to express our opinions about the issues in a respectful manner."

Strickland recalled praying with Harris once when the two had a disagreement. And when the Senate President slipped on the ice outside a Capitol Square-area hotel on the eve of the State of the State in 2009 and broke his leg, Strickland was among the first people to visit Harris’ hospital room.

Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, a Democrat who served as Ohio House Speaker during the final two years of Harris’ term, said in a statement that Harris was "an honorable, devoted, and passionate public servant who loved serving the people of Ohio."

Other Ohio officials offered similar praise.

"My deepest sympathies go out to the friends & family of former Ohio Senate President Bill Harris," Gov. John Kasich said in a tweet Monday. "He was a fine man of faith, an honorable marine, successful businessman and dedicated public servant. May he rest in peace."

His successor as Senate President also weighed in.

"Former Senate President Bill Harris was a beloved and respected member of our Senate family," Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina, said in a statement. "A humble public servant, Bill represented the best of Ohio. He served his country first on the battlefields as a Marine before coming home to build a business and invest in the people and the communities he later represented in the Ohio House and Senate. His devotion to his family, his authentic faith and his genuine interest in his fellow Ohioans garnered respect by all who knew him. On behalf of my colleagues, I extend our deepest condolences to the Harris family. His legacy of service and honor will forever be remembered in his hometown of Ashland and in the halls of the Ohio Statehouse."

Secretary of State Jon Husted, who was speaker of the Ohio House when Harris led the Senate, said Harris was a "great Ohioan," and "a man of principle and one of the most decent people I have ever known who dedicated much of his life to serving others."

"Losing Bill is a sad day for me, but he was a man of strong faith who is now joined with his beloved wife Kay for eternity," Husted said in an email. "Tina and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Harris family."

Attorney General Mike DeWine, who is vying with Husted for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, also expressed his condolences.

"Fran and I are very saddened by the news that former Ohio Senate President Bill Harris has died," DeWine said in a statement. "Bill was a true servant leader who served his country as a Marine and as a legislator, as well as a successful businessman. Fran and I offer our sincerest condolences to Bill’s family and friends."

Jane Timken, chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party, said in a statement that Harris embodied the American dream.

"All who knew President Harris know of his kind heart and commitment to service," she said in a statement. "On behalf of the Ohio Republican Party, I offer my sincere condolences to the Harris family. Our party and our state are better off thanks to his leadership."

Maggie Ostrowski, who served as spokeswoman for the former Ohio Senate president, said Harris was a gentleman who embodied "servant leadership" and who worked hard to rise through the ranks in the state legislature.

"Public service to him was a true calling," she said.

That attitude carried over into all aspects of his life, including his car dealership.

"It was not just about making money," Ostrowski said. "It was about taking care of people and being a big part of that community in Ashland."

At the end of many workdays, Harris would stop by Ostrowski’s office and ask why she was still there and not home with her family.

Then he would run down the lengthy list of things that needed to be done.

"We had so much going on," Ostrowski said. "... That, to me, is quintessential Sen. Harris."

mschladen@dispatch.com

@martyschladen

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